Electrically operated hair clipping and shaving device



Aug. 31, 1965 JEPSON ETAL 3,203,090

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED HAIR GLIPPING AND SHAVING' DEVICE Original FiledNov. 1, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 X INVENTORS /|/,4 JP50N and JIGMUND e.KUKULSKI Aug. 31, 1965 JEPSON ETAL ELECTRICALLY OPERATED HAIR GLIPPINGAND SHAVING DEVICE Original Filed Nov. 1, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTORS IVAP JEPSUN qm/ SIGMUND E" KUKULSK I Aug. 31, 1965 l. JEPSONETAL ELECTRICALLY OPERATED HAIR C-LIPPING AND SHAVING DEVICE 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Nov. 1, 1955 I I am, 4 MW 1) IN VEN TORSVAR JEPSUN and $IGMUNU R. KU/(ULSK I United States Patent ELECTRICALLY()PERATED HAIR CLIPPING AND SHAVING DEVICE Ivar .Iepson, Oak Park, andSigmund R. Kuiiulski, Chicago, 111., assignors to Sunbeam Corporation,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application Nov. 1,1955, Ser. No. 544,212, now Patent No. 3,072,809, dated Jan. 8, 1963.Divided and this application Apr. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 184,109

3 Claims. (Cl. 3034.1)

This invention is a division of copending application Serial No.544,212, series of 1948, filed November 1, 1955, which has matured intoPatent No. 3,072,809 granted January 8, 1963, and assigned to the sameassignee as the instant application.

The present invention relates to an electrically operated hair clippingand shaving device, and, more particularly, to such a device especiallydesigned for the needs of women.

There has long been a definite need by the ladies for a convenient, fastand safe method of removing leg and underarm hair. Manufacturers havesought to capture this market with various devices, among which areemery mits, chemical depilatories, straight razors, saftey razors, and,more, recently, adaptations of mens electric shavers. All of thesemethods for removing leg and underarm hair have drawbacks. The varioustypes of blade razors on the market which have been most extensivelyused cause irritation, and there is always the danger of cuting the skinor nicking the shin bone, which is tender and very slow and difficult toheal. The depilatories are diflicult and messy to use, and the emery mitis very unsatifactory. There have been on the market electric shaverswhich have been referred to as ladies shavers, but these have beennothing more than dressedup obsolete models of mens electric shavers oradaptations of current models. None of them have been scientificallydesigned for the job and, hence, have been unsatisfactory.

The problem of removing leg hair and underarm hair is really twofold.The skin on the legs is firm and, therefore, it is possible to shaveclosely without irritation. The skin under the arms is soft and tenderand readily irritated. It would be desirable to provide a hair removingdevice that will do both of these necessary jobs, namely, removing leghair and underarm hair better than has heretofore been possible.

A hair removing device particularly designed for the needs of women mustbe a small device, preferably no larger than an ordinary compact, andobviously it must be sturdily built and foolproof in operation. Itshould preferably be provided with cuting means which are capable ofcutting very closely for removing leg hair, and also with cutting meanswhich will remove underarm hair without irritating the soft and tenderskin of the underarm.

In order for an electric hair removing device to perform efficiently, itis essential that it be provided with a powerful motor for actuating thecutting means. On the other hand, this powerful motor must be capable ofbeing disposed in a very small, fiat case if a satisfactory hairremoving device exclusively for the use of women is produced. It wouldbe desirable to provide for such a ladies hair removing device apowerful and yet compact motor whichhas long life, will give years totroublefree performance, will require no lubrication, and will produceno radio or television interference.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved hair removing device designed especially for women whichhas the desirable features set forth above.

3,203,090 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 Ice It is another object of the presentinvention to provide an electric hair removing device having improvedcutting means capable of cutting leg hair very close to the skin and atthe same time capable of being used to remove underarm hair withoutirritation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electricallyoperated hair removing device of a size and shape similar to a ladiescompact.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved electric motor for an electric hair removing device which is ofsmall and compact design, light in weight and capable of giving manyyears of trouble-free performance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electricallyactuated hair removing device especially designed for women, having areadily removable cutting mechanism which can be cleaned and replaced ina very simple manner.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide in a hairremoving device designed particularly for women a cutting mechanismwhich can only be attached to the motive means in a particular mannerthereby insuring proper use thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds, and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an electrical hair removing deviceembodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the arrangement disclosed in FIG.1, but with a comb guard shown in attached position;

FIG.3 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 1, but also showing a combguard as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2, butwithout the comb guard;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4, assuming thatFIG. 4 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 4, again assumingthat FIG. 4 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the comb assembly and cutteronly of the hair removing device of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the portion of the casing of the hairremoving device of the present invention to which the comb and cutterare adapted to be attached;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the motor of the electric hairremoving device of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on line 10-10 of FIG.4, assuming that FIG. 4 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the electric motorillustrating a modification of the present invention.

Briefly, the present invention is concerned with a ladies electric hairremoving device particularly designed for removing both underarm and leghair, which has a plastic case of pleasing appearance of a shape andconfiguration very similar to that of a ladies compact. A powerful andefiicient resonant motor, having no contacts, brushes or the like, isadapted to be disposed within the casing to actuate a cutter. A comb andcutter assembly is mounted for ready removal from one edge of thecasing, and the cutter is adapted to be driven by the electric motor tooscillate at a speed of the order of more than 14,000 cutting strokesper minute. The comb and cutter assembly is provided at one edge withmeans for cutting leg hair and is capable of cutting very close to theskin. On the other edge it is provided with means for removing underarmhair, designed so as not to cut too closely, thereby avoiding underarmirritation. The motor is mounted in the casing in a manner to besubstantially vibration-free, and the entire mechanism is very light inweight, compact is design, and capable of giving years of trouble-freeperformance.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated an electric hairremoving device, generally designated by the reference numeral 20.Essentially, this electric hair removing device or cutter assemblycomprises a reciprocating cutting blade or cutter 21, operating incoaction with a suitable comb assembly generally indicated at 22. Thecutter assembly is suitably and removably mounted on a casing 23. Apowerful electric motor, generally designated at 24, is housed withinthe casing 23 and drivingly connected to reciprocate the cutter 21.

Since the electric hair removing device 29 has been especially designedto meet the needs of women, the easing or housing 23 is preferably of aflat, circular configuration, best shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 of thedrawings, so as to have a size and appearance very similar to that ofthe conventional compact. By conventional compact is meant the generallycircular relatively thin container commonly used as a compact. In asuccessful device built in accordance with the present invention thecasing 23 was slightly under three inches in diameter and of the orderof an inch in maximum thickness. As illustrated, the casing 23 is atwo-part casing, comprising the cooperating parts 26 and 27, preferablymolded from a suitable plastic. It will be appreciated that manymoldable plastic materials are readily available on the market whichprovide a smooth and desirable appearing surface of any color. It willbe understood that such an electric hair removing device particularlydesigned for women will have casings of different colors to fit in withparticular color schemes and the like. Essentially, the two casingsections 26 and 27 are very similar, although not identical, theinterior of each being essentially a mirror image of the other. In orderto insure that the casing sections 26 and 27 may be held together in apredetermined relationship, the casing section 26 is provided over asubstantial portion of its periphery engageable with the casing section27 with an annular ledge 26a which cooperates with a similar ledge 27aprovided around a substantial portion of the periphery of the engagingface of easing section 27 (seeFIGS. 4,. 5 and 6). The annular ledge 26ais displaced slightly laterally in casing section 26 relative to annularledge 27a, so that when the casing sections are in the position shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, these ledges are side by side and a smooth exterior isprovidedat the junctions of the casing sections 26 and 27. To furtherinsure proper orientation of the casing sections, the section 27 isprovided with integral pin portions 27b receivable in suitablecooperating openings 23 defined in casing section 26. These are bestshown in- FIG. 4 of the drawings.

In order to hold the casing sections 26 and 27 together to form casing23 to house the motor 24 therein, the easing section 27 has providedtherein a plurality of threaded inserts such as 29 for threadedlyreceiving suitable fastening means such as 30 to. clamp the casingsections to gether. As best shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, four screwsor fastening means are provided, two of them being designated as 30, andthe other two being designated as 31. Preferably, the fastening means 31engage threaded inserts which are molded into the casing in a well knownmanner, and which threaded inserts are not shown in the drawings. Thefastening means 30, on the other hand, as is best shown in FIG. 6 of thedrawings, engage threaded inserts 29 which need not be molded into thecasing, but which may be inserted into openings defined in casingsection 27. The threaded inserts 29 are preferably each provided with anenlarged head portion, so that it will serve effectively as a nutthreadedly to receive the fastening means 30 to clamp the casingsections together.

To give strength to the casing sections 26 and 27 and to insure that theplastic walls thereof cannot be crushed together, each of the casingsections 26 and 27 is provided with a strut, designated at 26c and 27c,respectively, which struts have aligned openings to receive one of thefastening means 30, and the adjacent ends of which struts abut eachother to limit the distortion of the casing when the fastening means 30is threadedly engaged with the threaded insert 29 effectively serving asa nut. Two comparable projections are provided to abut each other on theopposite side of the casing from the struts 26c and 270, one of theprojections, namely, 26d being shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Theprojections such as 26d, illustrated as long and slender, are providedin order to take up a minimum space and to permit the maximum spacewithin the casing to be available for positioning the motor 24.

To provide a pleasing exterior for the casing 23, the top or bottom orboth of the casing may be provided with a suitable metal plate such as32, which may have any type of design thereon including initials, amonogram or the like. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings,this plate 32 is provided with a peripheral flange 32a which is disposedin a circular recess defined in the casing section 27. Preferably, aplurality of tabs, not shown, integral with the plate 32 extend throughopenings in the casing section 27 and are peened over to hold the plate32 in position. As is best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the plate32, in addition to being a decorative plate, also hides the threadedinserts 29, so that a very pleasing casing appearance is provided. Sucha plate may also be provided on the outside of the casing section 26,although, as illustrated, a suitable design indicated at 33 is moldeddirectly into the plastic of the casing. The screws 30 and 31 areavailable from this side of the casing, as is clearly shown in FIG. 3 ofthe drawings.

Before considering other specific details of the casing 23 for housingthe motor 24, the details of the motor constr-uction shall first beconsidered. *It will be apparent that to provide a proper hair cuttingoperation a powerful motor is desirable. It is also appreciated thatwith the casing construction illustrated, of the size and shape of acompact, any usable motor will have to be very compact. In accordancewith the present invention, the motor 24 is a very simple, compactmotor, with no brushes or contacts which could cause radio andtelevision interference. As illustrated, the motor 24 is a powerfulresonant motor, best shown in FIGS, 4 and 9 of the drawings. This mot-orcomprises a field structure which is a two-part field structurecomprising somewhat U-shaped laminations 40 held together by suitablerivets such as 41. The other po-r ion of the field structure comprisessomewhat L-shaped lamina't-ions 42 held together by rivets 43. Thelaminations 42 are provided at one end with cooperating notches 44 toreceive tongues 40a integral with the laminations 4th. The fieldstructure is designed in two parts to facilitate assembling thereon afield coil designated as 45. The assembled position of the fieldstructure and field coil is clearly shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings.Preferably, the field coil comprises the conventional spool 46 with thenecessary end portions, between which end portions and on which spoolthe winding 39 is Wound in the conventional manner. The ends of winding39 define current conductors 39a and 3%.

1? or the purpose of holding the field structure comprising thelaminations 40 and 42 and the coil 45 in assembled relationship, thereis provided a motor field plate 47 and a frame plate 48. The motor fieldplate 47 of somewhat T shape comprises an elongated central member 47awith integral transverse end members 47b and 470, the transverse endmember 470 having a portion 47d extending on the opposite side of theport-ion 4711, as is clearly shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings. The frameplate 48 is more complicated but includes portions corresponding to theabove-described portions of plate 47. The assembled field laminations 40and 42 are clamped between the elements 47 and 48 which have cooperatingopenings for the rivets 41 and 43. In accordance with the presentinvention, these rivets have projections which extend from either sideof the field structure for a purpose which will be described in greaterdetail hereinafter. As illustrated, the projections on the rivets 43 aredesignated as 43a, and the projections on the rivet-s 41 are designatedas 41a. Suffice it to say that in addition to providing the projections41a and 43a, the rivets hold the tfield structure including the tfieldplate 47 and frame 48 in assembled relationship. Preferably, the members47 and 48 are formed of nonmagnetic material, such as brass, so as notto provide a flux path for the flux in the laminations 40 and 42, which,of course, are formed of magnetic material, such as silicon steel or thelike, The assembled field structure and winding provides an air gapbetween pole faces 49 and 50 which are defined on corresponding portionsof the field laminations 40 and 42. The plates 47 and 48 insure that the.air gap between the pole faces 49 and 50 is properly maintained.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an armature52 which is formed of a plurality of laminations 53 held in assembledrelationship by rivets 54. To support the armature 52 for pivotalmovement, there is provided a bell crank 55, one arm of which ispreferably disposed at the center of the armature between two equalsections of laminat-io'ns 53. The rivets 54 hold the laminations 53 andbell crank 55 in assembled relationship. To provide a driving member fortransmitting power to a suitable driven member, the bell crank 55 isprovided with an arm or projection 55c through which power from themotor 24 is transmitted to any suitable means to be driven thereby. Itwill be appreciated that the armature 52 is designed to move Within theair gap between pole faces 49 and 50, and to this end is provided withcooperating pole faces 52a and 52b. For the purpose of supporting thearmature .52 for movement between the pole faces 49 and 50, the bellcrank 55 is pivotally supported about a pivot point located outside thefield structure. As illustrated, the bell crank 55 is secured to asuitable bushing 58 having a suitable bearing therein, designated as 59,which may :be a porous bronze bearing or the like. The bell crank 55.and associated bushing 58 and bearing 59 are pivoted about a suitableshaft such as 60 extending between the frame members 47 and 48. Asillustrated, the shaft 60 extends between the projection 47d of frame 47and a corresponding projection on frame 48. Openings 61 and 62 in framemembers 47 and 48 accommodate the shaft 60. With this arrangement, thearmature 512 is caused to describe an arcuate p-ath about the pivotmember .or shaft 60, and by virtue of the bearing 59 this movement isconstrained to insure arcuate movement of the armature 52 within a fixedpath.

The armature 52 is substantially L-sbaped, with the base of the L beingthe end portion 52b which is disposed nearest the pivot shaft 60. Thelongitudinal axis of said armature extends through the long arm of the Land generally perpendicular to the base thereof, and is generallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of the air gap defined by a lineetxending bet-ween pole faces 49 and 50. It will be apparent that thebase of the L thus provides a greater crosssectional area for the end ofthe armature close-st the pivot pin which moves through a smaller arcthan does the end 52a thereof. In order to provide a normal or restposition for the armature 52, there are provided a pair of armaturesprings 64 and :65 which normally tend to bias the armature .to thepredetermined position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, so that thearmature is disposed almost outside the gap between pole faces 49 and50. Upon energization of the field coil 45, it will be apparent that thearmature 52 will :be attracted to tend to move in a direction to causethe pole faces 52a and 49 to be in substantial alignment, and similarlyto cause the pole faces 52!) and 50 to be in substantial alignment. Inthe normal or at rest position of the armature, as shown in FIG. 4 ofthe drawings, the end 52b is partially in registry with the .pole face50 so as to provide a flux path With a sulficiently low initialreluctance to insure that the armature 52 be pulled into the air gapwhen current is supplied to Winding 39. It will be appreciated that withthis construction the reluctance of the flux path at the end 52b of thearmature is reduced thus insuring a higher flux density in the air gapadjacent pole face 49. This higher flux density produces a greater forceat that end 52a of armature 52 which has the maximum moment arm aboutthe pivot pin 60. Thus this greater force insures a greater torquecausing pivotal movement of armature 52. This more than offsets anydecrease in force by virtue of the decrease in reluctance of the fluxpath at the end 52b of armature 52.

To provide the most compact motor it is apparent that the armature 52must have a minimum dimension in the direction of the longitudinal axesof the springs 64 and 65, since these springs must have a minimum lengthfor satisfactory operation. However, the armature 52 should have apredetermined mass and moreover its area of crosssection should be suchto provide a low reluctance path. To this end the armature 52, as bestshown in FIGS. 6 and 9 of the drawings, is relatively Wide andsubstantially wider than the thickness of the field structure. Thus alow reluctance path is provided even while maintaining the dimension ofthe armature in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the springs 64and 65 very small.

In order to support the springs 64 and 65 in a manner to hold thearmature in its neutral position and tend to return it to that position,the portion of bell crank 55 clamped between la-rnina-tions 53 definingarmature 52 is provided on either side thereof with projections 55a and55b to support spring retaining cups 67 and 68, respectively. Thesespring retaining cups are secured to the projections 55a and 55b bystaking or the like, so that the cups will hold the adjacent ends of thesprings 64 and 65, respectively. To support the other ends of thesprings, the frame 48 is provided with a pair of ears 48a and 48b,respectively, which project laterally from the frame p oper so as to bedisposed on either side of the cups 67 and 68, respectively. Theseprojections 48a and 48b are provided with integral cylindrical bosses 70and 71 to be received Within the coiled springs 64 and 65, respectively.P or the sake of rigidity, the frame 48 preferably is provided with aperipheral flange 480 which includes as an enlargement thereof theprojection 48a. It will be apparent that the frame 48 effectivelyperforms a threefold operation: it acts as the motor frame, it providesa pivot support for the armature 52, and it also provides a support forthe springs 64 and 65. Preferably, the springs 64 and 65 are precisioncoil springs accurately calibrated to be resonant at a frequencyslightly separated from the frequency of the energizati-on circuit forthe winding 39. Where the power source is a sixty-cycle alternatingcurrent source and the motor operates at double frequency, the springs64 and 65 are preferably calibrated at just about sixty cycles or aharmonic thereof. Obviously, if they were resonant exactly at sixtycycles, one hundred twenty cycles or the like, the amplitude of thearmature might be too great. On the other hand, if they were tuned toresonance too far away from sixty cycles, one hundred twenty cycles orthe like, too much power would be lost. In a device built in accordancewith the present invention, the springs 64 and 65 were tuned toresonance between sixty-three cycles and sixty-seven cycles. As waspointed out above, the armature 52 is illustrated in the drawings asbeing wider than the field structure, to provide the maximum weight ofthe armature in a small size motor while permitting the maximum lengthof the springs 64 and 65. More-over, for most satisfactory operation ofthe motor 24, it is desirable to provide an arrangement whereby themaximum rate of change of flux occurs upon armature movement. Bypivoting the armature 52 from a point outside the eld structure, withthe armature moving radially into the air gap in the field structure,this is accomplished.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 of the drawings, the ends 39a and 3% of thewinding 39 of coil 45 are connected to suitable terminal pins 72 and 73which are adapted to cooperate with a more or less conventional femaletype terminal plug described hereinafter. To hold the terminal pins 72and 73 in spaced parallel alignment, a suitable terminal board 74,formed of an insulated material such as a laminated phenolic, isprovided, the terminal pins 72 and 73 being suitably secured thereto andelectrically connected to the ends 39a and 39b, respectively, of thewinding 39 defining the coil 45 in a manner well understood by thoseskilled in the art.

It will be apparent from the above description that the motor 24'. is aunitary assembly which is very small and very compact. Upon energizationof the field coil 45 with alternating current, the armature 52 will beattracted into the air gap as the alternating flux produced therebybuilds up toward the positive or negative peak. As this alternating fluxgoes through zero, the magnetic forces acting on armature 52 also gothrough zero and the springs 64 and 65 tend to return the armature toits normal or zero position. During the other half cycle of thealternating current flux the process will be repeated. It will beapparent, therefore, that the oscillations of the armature 52 will betwice the frequency of the alternating current supplied to winding 39,and as long as power is supplied to winding 39, the armature 52 willoscillate about pivot shaft 60 at double the frequency of the supplyvoltage. Moreover, this motor will produce no clattering noise or thelike, which is the case with vibrating ty-pe motors, as the armaturemoves against the field structure, since it is impossible for thearmature 52 to make physical contact with any part of the fieldstructure, the springs 64 and 65 effectively suspending the armature foroscillation about pivot shaft 60. Thus, even excessive movement of thearmature 52 will cause no engagement with the field structure whatever.It will be appreciated that with a sixty-cycle power source, thearmature will have a one hundred twenty cycle frequency, which means14,400 strokes per minute to be transmitted to the movable cutterdescribed hereinafter by the arm 550 of bell crank 55.

In accordance with the present invention, the projections 41a and 43a ofthe rivets 4i and 43, respectively, of motor as are used to position andsecure the motor 24 within the casing 23. To this end each casingsection 26 and 27 is provided with four recesses, only two of which areshown'for each casing section in FIG. of the drawings. These recessesare designated by the reference nurneral 74- for the casing section 26,and 75 for the casing section 27. Supported within each recess 74 and 75is a rubber mounting member 76, eight of them being provided in all.These rubber mounting members have a central opening adapted to receivethe projections 41a and 43a of the rivets 41 and 43, respectively. Thus,when the motor 24 is disposed within the casing 26, it is suitablysupported in rubber mountings, whereby the transmission of vibrationsfrom the motor to the casing is sub stantially reduced. The recesses 74and '75 are so disposed that the driving arm 550 of the bell crank 55,whose other arm supports the armature 52, is on one side of the casing23, and diametrically opposed are the terminal pins 72 and 73.

In order to accommodate one of the fastening means 30, the motor, andspecifically the laminations 40 and the frame portions 47 and 48 areprovided with aligned openings to define a passageway 78 through whichthis fastening means may extend. However, the fastening means passingthrough these aligned openings does not hold the motor 24- in positionother than indirectly by clamping the casing sections together.Preferably, the passageway 78 is of larger diameter than the fasteningmeans 30 so that vibrations of the motor 24 are not transmitted direct yto the casing 23 through the fastening means 30. The only reason thefastening means 30 passes through the field structure is a matter ofconvenience, since the motor takes up such a large portion of the casing23 that it is diflicult to include therein a fastening means which doesnot pass through some portion of the motor. The motor itself ismaintained in position solely by the projections of the rivets 41 and 43and the rubber mounting members 76 disposed in the recesses 74 and 75.With the motor in position in one of the casing halves such as 26 or 27,the other casing section can then be moved into position in a verysimple manner and the fastening means 3t) and 31 employed to clamp thecasing sections together thereby firmly to support in vibration-freemanner the motor 24 within the casing 23. It will be appreciated thatthe rubber mountings 7 4 and 75 will also prevent the excessivetightening of the fastening means 30 and 31. With the above describedarrangement the motor 24 is readily removable for service and repair.

in order to support the comb assembly 22 and associated cutter 21, thecasing 23, which has been described as a generally circular, flatcasing, much on the order of a conventional ladies compact, is providedat the edge thereof, and specifically at the edge defined by thejunction of the two casing sections 26 and 27, with an integralprojection which might be designated as the cutting head section of thecasing. As illustrated, the casing section 26 is provided at the edgethereof over a small portion of the periphery with a projection 26) andtwo transverse projections 26g disposed at the end of projection 26Similarly, the casing section 27 is provided with a projection 27 andtwo transverse projections 27g disposed at the end of projection 27].These projections, when the casing is assembled, define therebetween arecess 88, best shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings, for receiving the combassembly 22 and cutter 21 in a manner to be described hereinafter. Thecasing sections 26 and 27 are designed so that when assembled theydefine the recess 80. The bottom of this recess, as viewed in FIG. 8 ofthe drawings, is defined by casing walls to provide a substantiallyclosed casing. Moreover, when the cutter 21 and comb assembly 22 aredisposed in recess 80, the portion of the comb assembly defining theskin engaging portion is preferably substantially level with the ends ofthe projections 26g and 27g, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 10 of thedrawings. For a purpose which will become apparent from the followingdescription the walls of recess are propided with spaced ribs 81defining grooves therebetween.

In order that the actuating arm 550 of bell crank 55 oscillated by thearmature 52 may project into recess 89, an opening 83 is defined incooperating wall sections of the casing forming the substantially closedbottom of recess 80 through which the arm SSC may extend. To preventhair, hair clippings and foreign matter from entermg the opening 83, andhence from entering the motor chamber within casing 23, there isprovided a resilient sealing member 84, which may be in the form of asponge rubberlike member which has an opening through which theactuating arm 550 of hell crank 55 extends. The sponge sealing member 84fits tightly around the actuating arm 550 to insure a sealing action andat the same time effectively closes the opening 83 without interferingwith oscillating movement of actuating arm 550.

It will be appreciated that in any cutting device where a reciprocatingcutter moves relative to a comb to perform a hair shearing or cuttingoperation, means must be provided to bias the cutter into shearingengagement with the comb. In accordance with the present invention,coiled springs 85 are provided for this purpose.

These springs preferably have an enlarged turn or two at one endthereof, designated in the drawings as 85a (see FIG. These springs arearranged to be contained in openings 87 defined in the parting line orcooperating portions of the casing sections 26 and 27 immediately belowrecess 80, which abut each other when the casing sections are clampedtogether as clearly shown in the drawings. These recesses 87 haveundercut portion 87a (see FIG. 10) so that when the springs 85 areinserted therein during the time when the casing sections are clampedtogether, the enlarged turns 85a prevent their subsequent removal. Thus,the springs 85 project into the recess 80 for ready engagement with thecutter to be described hereinafter and are held in the operativeposition shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 of the drawings by the shape of thewalls defining recesses 87.

The comb assembly 22, which cooperates with casing 23 to define acutting head, is illustrated as a two-part member including a U-shapedsupport 88 and a comb portion 89, the latter being preferably made ofsheet metal and having a hollow mushroomshaped head providing agenerally rectangular, arcuate face 89d for contacting the skin fromwhich the hair is to be removed. For the purpose of providing strengthand rigidity in the arcuate portion 89d of the mushroom-shaped combportion 89, there is provided a central rib 89a which, as is best shownin FIG. 10 of the drawings, is a channel-shaped deformation formed atthe center of the arcuate portion. Essentially, the mushroom-shaped combportion 89 of the comb assembly 22 includes, in addition to the arcuatesection thereof having the central rib 89a, a pair of converging sideportions 890 which connect spaced parallel portions 890 to the arcuateportion 89a. The converging portions 8% are provided With a plurality ofopenings 95 along the length thereof, which are effectively hair escapeopenings through which hair clippings may fall. As is clearly evidentfrom FIG. 10 of the drawings, the upwardly directed ends of the U-shapedsupport 88 extend to a point adjacent the bottom of the cutter 21 andserve to deflect clipped hair out through the openings 95, henceeffectively preventing such hair from entering the inner portions of thecomb and cutter assembly. Preferably, both the comb portion 89 and theU-shaped support 88 have a length of the order of the spacing betweenthe projections 26g and 27g. The U-shaped support 88 has a width so asto be disposed between the spaced parallel portions 89c of the comb 89and is provided along each side thereof with outwardly directed hollowprojections or rivet portions 8811 by means of which the mushroomshapedcomb portion 89 of the cutting head may be secured thereto. Asillustrated, the portions 890 are provided with a plurality of alignedopenings on either side for receiving the projections 88a, whichprojections may then be deformed as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 of thedrawings effectively to secure the U-shaped support 88 to the combportion 89. Actually, the U-shaped support 88 may be formed from arelatively heavy material to provide a strong support. Moreover, thisU-shaped portion 88 of the comb assembly is designed to fit snuglywithin recess 80. The projections 88a are accommodated within the spacedgrooves defined between the ribs 81.

In order that the springs 85 may properly engage the cutter 21 wheneverthe comb and cutter assembly is attached in operative relationship tocasing 23, the bight portion of the U-shaped support 88 is provided witha pair of relatively large openings 90 through which springs 85 mayextend without interference. Also, the bight portion of the U-shapedsupport 88 is providedwith a central elongated opening 91 to permit theactuating arm 550 of the bell crank 55 to move freely and withoutinterference when in driving engagement with the cutter, as will bedescribed in greater detail hereinafter. For purposes which will becomeapparent from the following description, the mushroom-shaped combportion 89 is formed of relatively thin spring steel material,preferably having a thickness of the order of twelve-thousandths of aninch or preferably between ten and fifteen-thousandths of an inch. Inorder to prevent underarm irritation, it is essential that the hairremoving operation does not result in cutting too closely, and the rangeof thickness set forth above is necessary, as will become apparent fromthe following description, to avoid cutting too closely.

In accordance with the present invention, the comb portion 89 isprovided with two sets of teeth, one along either edge of the arcuateportion 89d, which teeth are designated as 97 and 98, respectively.These teeth are formed by providing a plurality of slots or apertures97b and 98a along each respective edge of the comb through both thearcuate portion 89d and the diverging portions thereof, which, by virtueof the mushroom shape, are closely adjacent, as is clearly evident fromFIG. 10 of the drawings. If the thickness of the spring steel materialfrom which the comb portion 89 is made is of the order of twelvethousandths of an inch, the teeth 98 will insure that no closer cuttingthan twelve-thousandths of an inch will occur. Thus, the teeth 98effectively provide the teeth for cutting underarm hair. In order thatthe teeth 97 may insure much closer cutting for removing leg hair, thetop edge of the arcuate portion of comb 89 along the teeth 97 is groundvery thin, as indicated at 97a in FIG. 10 of the drawings, so that thestock thickness of these teeth 97 may be much thinner thantwelve-thousandths of an inch to provide close cutting for the removalof leg hair. i In a hair removing device built in accordance with thepresent invention, the edge of the arcuate comb portion adjacent teeth97 was ground to a thickness of the order of five-thousandths of an inchand preferably between threeand seven-thousandths.

For the purpose of providing the desired shearing action. with combportion 89, the cutter 21, also formed of spring steel or suitablematerial which will insure good cutting action, is provided with acentral U-shaped channel portion 21a slightly larger than the rib 89a sothe latter may be partially nested therein, and a pair of laterallyextending flange portion 21b, each of which terminates in cutting teeth99. The rib 89a serves as a guide for the reciprocating cutter 21 withinwhich the rib 89a is nested. Preferably a loose fit between the channelportion 21a and rib 89a is provided so that even and distributed wearwill occur between the comb and cutter teeth. The cutting teeth 99 areadapted to be disposed immediately beneath the cutting teeth 97 and 98,as is clearly shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. Preferably, the cutteris ground on a cylindrical radius slightly larger than the radius of thecomb at the teeth portions 97 and 98 thereof, so that the cutter willlap into the comb with use thereof to insure very good shearing action.

In order to drive the cutter from arm 550 or bell crank 55, an opening100 is preferably defined at the center of the bight portion of section21a of cutter 21. Preferably also, a distortion 101 of the bight portion21a is provided on either side of this opening to insure engagement withthe actuating arm 550 which is adapted to extend into the opening 100,as is clearly shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. Also to insure properengagement of the springs with the cutter, the bight portion of theU-shaped section 21a thereof is provided with a plurality of dimples102, which are adapted to be received into the upper ends of the springs85, as is clearly shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. Thus, when the comband cutter assembly is moved into the position shown in FIG. 10 of thedrawings, the actuating arm 55c moves into driving engagement with thecutter 21, and the springs 85 move into engagement with the U-shapedportion 21a of the cutter 21, the dimples 102 insuring properpositioning of the springs 85 relative to the cutter 21. It will beapparent that there has been provided a cutting head which has twocutting edges, one edge for underarm hair which is adapted not to outtoo close, and another edge for leg hair which is capable of cuttingvery closely.

It will be appreciated that, since the cutter 21 is lapped into thecomb, it is important that the cutter is always assembled with the combin the same predetermined manner, otherwise the lapping operation willbe of little value. Accordingly, the comb and cutter are preferablyprovided with means to insure assembly in the same manner. In anembodiment built in accordance with the present invention, one side ofthe cutter and the corresponding side of the comb were painted orotherwise coated with the same unique color, so that in assembling thesame the operator could readily make sure that the corresponding colorswere on adjacent sides. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7 of thedrawings, the corre sponding ends of the comb assembly 22 and cutter 21may be provided with distinctive notches, such as indicated at 103 and104, respectively. These notches should always be at corresponding endswhen the cutting head is assembled. It will be appreciated that anysuitable means for making it easy for the operator to assemble thecutter and comb assembly in the proper manner may be provided.

So that the operator may readily know which side of the cutting head isuseful for cutting leg hair and which side is useful for cuttingunderarm hair, the casing is preferably provided with suitable indicia.As illustrated in the drawings, there are provided on one side of thecasing the words For Legs, and on the other side of the casing the wordsFor Underarms. Obviously, this indicia will have no meaning unless thecomb and cutter assembly is applied to the casing in a predeterminedmanner. To this end the casing 23 and comb assembly 22 are designed sothat the comb assembly cannot be attached to the casing in operativerelation therewith unless it is attached thereto with the correctorientation. Preferably, to facilitate the proper assembly without thetrial and error method, the casing is provided on the side thereofadjacent which the colored or distinctive sides of the comb assembly andcutter should be positioned with a suitable indicia, such as the dot 106indicated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. This dot may be a colored dotcorresponding to the color used on the cutter and comb assembly.However, to insure against improper assembly should the operator ignorethe indicia, there are provided on one side of recess 80 and adjacenteach end thereof the projections 108, only one of which is visible inFIG. 8 of the drawings. However, these projections S cooperate withcut-away sections or rabbeted portions indicated at 109 (see FIG. 7 ofthe drawings) at each end of the U-shaped support 88. Thus, the comb andcutter assembly can only be attached in operative relationship with thecasing and motor in one predetermined manner, thus positively insuringcorrect orientation thereof. Preferably, a pair of shoulders similar tothe projections 108 are provided on the casing section 27 so as to spacethe comb portion 89 from the transverse projections 26g and 27g therebyto prevent the pinching and pulling of hairs into the spaces between theends of the comb portion and the transverse projections.

In order to hold the comb and cutter assembly in assembled positionwithin the recess 80, there are provided a pair of spring clips 111.These spring clips 111 are preferably L-shaped, as best shown in FIG. 4of the drawings. The short leg of the L is arranged to be disposed incooperating notches defined in casing sections 26 and 27, so that thelong arm of the L-shaped clips 111 extends substantially verticallyalong the ends of the recess 80. The upper end of the long arm of theL-shaped members 111 is provided with a laterally extending flangeextending against the Wall of the recess and effectively fitting intocooperating recesses or notches 112 defined in the end casing sections26g and 27g. Thus, the midpoint of the long arm of the L-shaped members111 can be distorted into the notches 112. To provide suitable latchingmeans, the intermediate portion of each of the long arms of the L-shapedmember 111 is provided with a protuberance 111a extending into therecess 80, which protuberances are adapted to engage the ends of thebight portion of the U-shaped support member 38, as is clearly shown inFIG. 4 of the drawings, thus holding the comb and cutter assembly inattached relationship with the casing 23 and with the cutter in drivingengagement with the arm 550 of the bell crank 55. The spring clips 111are resilient enough so that they will be distorted when the comb andcutter assembly is pushed into recess 80, and, conversely, the comb andcutter assembly may readily be removed by applying a small pulling forceto the mushroom-shaped comb portion which will cause the latchingportions 111a to release the comb and cutter assembly.

In view of the detailed description included above, the operation of thecutting device designed especially for the removal of both leg hair andunderarm hair will readily be understood by those skilled in the art.One side of the cutting head will cut no closer than the thickness ofthe comb stock employed, so that underarm irritation will not occur. Onthe other hand, the other side of the cutter head will cut much closerand is very satisfactory for removing leg hair. The comb and cutter arereadily detachable from the casing, so that excess hair can be blownout. Moreover, means are provided to insure that improper positioningthereof cannot occur. Also, simple means are provided to insure theproper assembly of the cutter head and attachment thereof to the casing23. A powerful motor is provided which is resiliently mounted in thecasing and which has no parts that can move against each other toprovide a loud noise.

The vibration of the motor is relatively small, and what vibration ispresent is prevented from being transmitted to the casing by theresilent mounting means provided. If desired, however, a modificationshown in FIG. 11 of the drawings may be employed, where a fragmentaryportion of the motor 24 is illustrated. As there illustrated, there isempolyed a counterweight which is attached to the motor frame by anL-shaped spring arm 121. This counterweight will vibrate in oppositionto the vibration produced by movement of the armature thereby reducingstill further any vibrations produced by the motor 24. The weight 120 isshaped so that it will readily fit within the casing 23. As illustrated,the L-shaped arm is riveted to an L-shaped bracket 122, which bracket issecured to the field structure of the motor 24 by screws 123. Thecounterweight 120 and the spring arm 121 are so selected that thecomposite counterweight structure has a natural frequency of vibrationsubstantially equal to twice the frequency of alternation of theenergizing current for the shaver which for one particular type ofshaver is sixty cycles per second. As will be clear to those skilled inthe art, the counterweight 120 thus vibrates one hundred eighty degreesout of phase with the remaining vibrating structure thereby to minimizethe over-all vibration of the shaver 20.

While there have been illustrated and described a particular embodimentof an electric hair removing device especially designed for the use ofwomen and a modification thereof, it will be appreciated that numerouschanges and modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in theart, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all thosechanges and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. In a hair removing device comprising an integral cutter including aU-shaped center portion and a pair of outwardly directed flangesdisposed on either side thereof, each of said flanges having a row ofcutting teeth defined on the outer edge, said cutting teeth being formedon one cylindrical radius and, a comb shaped to enclose said cutterflanges, said comb having a row of slots disposed over each row of saidcutter teeth to allow the entrance of hair to be sheared, said slottedportion of the comb being formed on a larger cylindrical radius thansaid cutting teeth radius, said slotted comb portion and rows of cutterteeth only being in angular contact along two relatively thin spacedcutting lines defined therebetween, means positioned between saidflanges biasing said cutter teeth into cutting engagement with saidslotted comb portions, the thickness of said comb being greate along oneside cooperating with one of said flanges than along the opposite side.

2, An electric hair removing device of the dry type comprising a casingof split construction having two mating sections, said casing defining afirst recess and a second recess which is on the parting line betweensaid sections, a motor positioned within said casing, a cutter assemblyremovably mounted on said housing including a comb and cutter inshearing relationship, said comb enclosing said cutter and receivedwithin said first recess, said cutter adapted to be driven by said motorwhen the cutter assembly is positioned in said first recess, springmeans engaging said cutter and casing for biasing and maintaining saidcutter in good shearing relationship with said comb, said spring meansincluding at least one coil spring having an integral enlargement at oneend thereof and adapted to be received within said second recess, saidsecond recess having an undercut portion intersected by said partingline for receiving said enlargement thereby retaining said spring tosaid casing.

3. A hair removing device comprising a cutter formed with cutting teethdefined in two spaced parallel rows along opposite edges thereof, a combenclosing said cutter and having two rows of slotted portions positionedoverlying and cooperating with said cutting teeth for shearing hairtherebetween, power means for reciprocating said cutter in a directionparallel to said cutter teeth rows, said comb formed so that the onlycontact between said 14 comb and cutte in a direction normal to saidcutting teeth rows is between said cutter teeth and comb slottedportions and so that said comb slotted portions are formed on a curvewhereby said slotted portions defines acute angles with said row ofcutter teeth, and means positioned between said rows of cutter teethbiasing said cutter rows into cutting engagement with said slotted combportions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,918,565 7/33Rossman 2678 X 2,105,223 1/38 Nicholl 43.2 2,222,106 11/40 Knapp 3043.922,253,037 8/41 Knapp 3043.92 2,282,725 5/42 Jepson 3043.9 2,292,858 8/42Alexay 3034.1 2,325,267 7/43 Murphy 304392 2,336,638 12/43 Rand 3034.12,345,695 4/44 Andis 30--34.1 2,530,759 11/50 Collins et al 3041.6 X2,591,403 4/52 Carissimi 3043.92 2,637,901 5/53 Kahn et al 30--4l.62,661,531 12/53 Streng 3043.92 X 2,700,788 2/55 Hennelly 2671 X2,725,625 12/55 Muntz 3034.2 2,802,260 8/57 Allen 3041.5 2,827,695 3/58Vitale 3043.92 X 2,948,063 8/60 Jepson 3034.1

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, MYRON C. KRUSE,

Examiners.

1. IN A HAIR REMOVING DEVICE COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL CUTTER INCLUDING A U-SHAPED CENTER PORTION AND A PAIR OF OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGES DISPOSED ON EITHER SIDE THEREOF, EACH OF SAID FLANGES HAVING A ROW OF CUTTING TEETH DEFINED ON THE OUTER EDGE, SAID CUTTING TEEHT BEING FORMED ON ONE CYLINDRICAL RADIUS AND, A COMB SHAPED TO ENCLOSE SAID CUTTER FLANGES, SAID COMB HAVING A ROW OF SLOTS DISPOSED OVER EACH ROW OF SAID CUTTER TEETH TO ALLOW THE ENTRANCE OF HAIR TO BE SHARED, SAID SLOTTED PORTION OF THE COMB BEING FORMED ON A LARGER CYLINDRICAL RADIUS THAN SAID CUTTING TEETH RADIUS, SAID SLOTTED COMB PORTION AND ROWS OF CUTTER TEETH ONLY BEING IN ANGULAR CONTACT ALONG TWO RELATIVELY THIN SPACED CUTTING LINES DEFINED THEREBETWEEN MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES BIASING SAID CUTTER TEETH INTO CUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SLOTTED COMB PORTIONS, THE THICKNESS OF SAID COMB BEING GREATER ALONG ONE SIDE COOPERATING WITH ONE OF SAID FLANGES THAN ALONG THE OPPOSITE SIDE. 